V.O.C. Arts & Science College

V. O. Chidambaram College (commonly known as VOC College) is a college of arts and sciences in Tuticorin, (Thoothukudi), a southern city of Tamil Nadu, India. The college offers undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, and research courses. The college is affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli.

V. O. Chidambaram College was started by Kulapathi A. P. C. Veerabahu with a missionary zeal of throwing open the portals of Higher Education to all, irrespective of their caste, creed and gender. He firmly believed that education alone can ensure the development of an individual, a society and a nation. He advocated the kind of education which contributes to the holistic development of an individual who in turn will contribute to the material and moral development of the society and the well being of the entire humanity. He wanted that the college should aspire for creating a just and humane society where dignity of human beings is respected, unjust social structures are challenged, the national legacy of diversity, secularism, non-violence and national integration are upheld and where the poor and the marginalized are taken care of.

Six decades have gone by and the moment calls for celebration and necessitates an acknowledgement of the visionary ideals of the founders of this institution. It was in the year 1945, a committee was constituted to commemorate the sacrifice of the first Swadeshi navigator and freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and to build a great monument to the great martyr. The following philanthropists were on the committee:

Shri. M. V. Sundaravel (President)

Shri. A. P. C. Veerabahu (Secretary)

Shri. M. Venkatakrishnan (Member)

Shri. M. C. Veerabahu (Member)

Shri. P. Kandasamy (Member)

Of the committee members, M.Venkatakrishnan, M.C.Veerabahu and P.Kandasamy were staunch freedom fighters and their presence in the committee provided a nationalistic perspective to the other members.

The committee first thought of building a monument to the late freedom fighter "Chekkilutha Chemmal", V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and so planned a Town Hall or a big Library. At that moment Dr. A. L. Mudaliar, the then Vice Chancellor of Madras University had appealed to Philanthropists all over Tamil Nadu to start colleges in unrepresented areas. Spurred by this news, himself a graduate Shri. A. P. C. Veerabahu realizing the importance of education in empowering people of "Nava Bharath" mooted the idea of establishing an educational institution for men.

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